BlackBerry 10 Facing Delays?

Oh, RIM, when are you going to catch a break? We were just starting to get the slightest bit optimistic about plans for the BlackBerry 10 launch; early reports of experiences with the software sounded quite favorable, some of the leaked hardware looked pretty decent, and rumors of really high-end devices had us hoping for the best. RIM already had to push back its BB10 launch plans once, and we’d been expecting the platform to launch in January. Now, there’s some speculation that RIM might not meet that release date either, and we could instead be seeing BlackBerry 10 arrive closer to March.

That doesn’t change all the good things we’ve heard about BB10, and might even give RIM the time to make it even more impressive, but RIM just can’t afford many more delays. Its current lineup is already on borrowed time (the Bold 9900 is over a year old by now), and aging hardware could end up driving existing users to jump ship.

Then again, this theory is far from confirmed, and as it comes from an analyst rather than a source in RIM itself, there are plenty of ways it could be wrong. For RIM’s sake, we’re hoping it’s able to at least get a Q1 launch; much later could be disastrous.

Stephen has been writing about electronics since 2008, which only serves to frustrate him that he waited so long to combine his love of gadgets and his degree in writing. In his spare time, he collects console and arcade game hardware, is a motorcycle enthusiast, and enjoys trapping blue crabs. Stephen’s first mobile device was a 624 MHz Dell Axim X30, which he’s convinced is still a viable platform. Stephen longs for a market where phones are sold independently of service, and bandwidth is cheap and plentiful; he’s not holding his breath. In the meantime, he devours smartphone news and tries to sort out the juicy bits